Getting Divorced
19-A M.R.S. § 902 — irreconcilable marital differences among the grounds, after 6 months here
- The plaintiff has lived in Maine in good faith for 6 months before filing.
- Or the plaintiff lives in Maine and the couple married here.
- Or the plaintiff lives in Maine and the couple lived here when the cause arose.
- Or the defendant lives in Maine.
Who handles this in Maine: Maine Volunteer Lawyers Project and Maine Judicial Branch, Help Topics; and legal aid programs and the state offices, listed in the Maine directory.
The complaint is filed in the District Court and states a ground: adultery, impotence, extreme cruelty, desertion for 3 consecutive years, gross habits of intoxication, nonsupport, cruel and abusive treatment, irreconcilable marital differences, or a court's appointment of a full guardian for a spouse.
When one spouse denies the differences. If one side claims irreconcilable marital differences and the other denies it, the court may continue the case and order counseling for both. Refusing it without good reason is prima facie evidence that the differences are irreconcilable.
At either party's request, unless the other objects, the court excludes the public from the proceedings. An uncontested divorce needs no corroborating witness.
Sources for this section (2)
- 19-A M.R.S. § 901 — Action for divorce; procedures
- 19-A M.R.S. § 902 — Grounds; defenses
Legal information, not legal advice. Verified as of October 2026. Applying it to a particular situation is the work of a licensed Maine attorney.